Swiss Military Bunkers

Rule of thumb:
If you see a mountain in Switzerland,
chances are good there is a bunker inside...

Even before WW2, Switzerland's main military goal was to preserve its neutrality, independence and stay out of any fighting.

The threat of invasion during WW2 was always present, so Switzerland increased the training of recruits and built defence works. Reserves were called up to guard the border with Germany.

The citizens were told to stockpile food, and given instructions on how to prepare for air raids. Every available piece of land was dug up, and moor areas drained, for planting crops to increase possible food supplies.

In 1940 German military staff started drawing up invasion plans for Switzerland known as Operation Tannenbaum.

The Nazis aimed to destroy the Swiss army and invade the central part of Switzerland, important for strategic and economic reasons, while Mussolini was to invade from the south, thus dividing the country in two.

The plans were never carried out; Hitler invaded Russia instead thinking he would take over Switzerland afterwards ...

Switzerland's Réduit defence system

The Swiss Reduit (National Redoubt) Strategy

The key defence strategy of the Swiss during WW2 was to persuade any invader that invasion would be far more costly than the benefits.

To do this, the Swiss expanded or built bunkers inside the mountains and especially in areas guarding the key mountain passes so denying Switzerland's crucial Alpine transportation infrastructure to any aggressor.

Additional defences were constructed around the borders of the country with the aim of delaying invading forces while the Fortress Army would disappear into well-stocked bunkers from where they could wage protracted guerrilla warefare.

Anti-tank blockades were set up in the valleys; innocuous-looking buildings camouflaged heavily armed facilities inside.

Intentional misinformation about the capacity of the bunkers was widely disseminated knowing it would reach the German High Command in the hopes that it would persuade the Nazi generals to use their forces elsewhere.

Around 8'000 highly secret military bunkers and defences were in use until the late 1990's when many were decommissioned.

General Henri Guisan was the chief of the Swiss Military Forces during WW2. He wrote in his report after the war:

“I am convinced that our fortifications had a major impact on German plans from 1943 onwards, and it is likely that they made a significant contribution towards the decision to refrain from attacking Switzerland. The expenditure on these facilities therefore certainly paid off.”

The bunkers were not decommissioned after the WW2 ended but remained in use during the Cold War.